Luton North MP, Sarah Owen, has shown her support for building the homes needed to fix the housing shortage and for using the railway as an alternative to carrying construction materials on local roads.
On a recent visit to Breedon Group, based on Leagrave Road, Ms Owen was shown a freight train unloading materials carried 130 miles by rail from Breedon’s quarry in Derbyshire. She heard how a delivery by just one freight train can provide the materials to deliver up to 30 new homes for Luton residents and remove around 76 HGV movements from its approach roads and residential streets.
Cargo from the site, based next to the rail sidings south of Leagrave Station, is transferred to lorries for the final leg of its journey to sites across Luton, where it will support the delivery of new homes, upgrades to schools and hospitals, and even the new stadium at Power Court.
The MP also met apprentices learning their trade, recruited through Breedon’s work with Barnfield College, and got a sky-high tour of the site – 20 metres up a silo. Ms Owen welcomed this important work with local colleges, which offers learning and development by combining classroom education with invaluable hands-on experience.
Speaking after the visit, Sarah Owen MP said: “Tackling the housing crisis, and delivering the infrastructure needed to create local jobs, put money back in local people’s pockets and grow the economy in our area, means every part of the supply chain doing its part.
“It was great to visit Breedon and their team at their site on Leagrave Road. They put sustainability and the railway at the centre of their operations, providing the materials needed to improve both local and new buildings. Whilst the last miles to local building sites are undertaken by lorry, bringing the materials into Luton by train reduces pressure on local roads and provides good, local jobs. This is better for the environment and makes great use of our railway.”
Torquil Hall, Breedon’s Land Manager for strategic development [pictured end of the line right], said: “It was great to welcome Sarah to our site and show her how we’re delivering the materials needed to build the homes Luton needs in a more sustainable way, whilst minimising the impact on residents in the town.
“To meet the Government’s ambitious housebuilding targets, we’ll need to extract and deliver more materials from our quarries. That’s why we welcome the Government’s planning and rail reforms and we’re keen to see further changes that speed up the planning process and expand access for rail freight.”
Huw Merriman, representing the Rail Freight Group [pictured left], said: “It was great to show Sarah the benefits of rail freight; from its environmental merits to the products Breedon delivers in bulk to help provide the new homes for people and their families across Luton. In the UK, we only deliver 7% of freight by rail and can do much more. Sarah is known for her support of the railway and the environment. We are pleased that she shares our ambition that the new rail reforms, and the creation of Great British Railways, can provide an opportunity to grow rail freight if the industry gets the certainty it needs to invest.”
On the back of the visit, Ms Owen is keen to help charities and organisations that need volunteers to help improve their premises. She went on to say: “The team at Breedon told me about their volunteering in the community, so I would urge any interested local groups to contact my office and, subject to resources, we can all work together to help those who do so much for the town and its residents.”
Image credit: Breedon Group / RFG
